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What, so we can strip it of all its mineral wealth before moving on to parts of South America and those bits of the Antartic shelf that are within the terrotorial waters of the Falklands? Sounds like a plan.

Well TwoFish, I think you're kind of trapped into a kind of right wing reality bubble (much like US Republicans). I for one can't see EU-taxes preventing entrepreneurial activity in the EU. Germany's SMEs have been booming for years. I think all your grieve comes from the fact that Britain has hardly any industrial base left. And you blame it on the EU, while the blame should be on the City, really. There has been a conscious decision by British politics something like 20 years ago (or even earlier) to completly rely upon the financial industry to provide your country's wealth. It has nothing to do with the EU or the Euro or percieved "left wing" policies.

I just read a column of a London based financial correspondant. He said that in effect Britain is already outside the EU and that for most Britains it would make no difference whether it is formally in or out - all that would change is that he would have to change his number plate (as he apparently is the only one on his street with the new EU number plate). On the other hand, for the remaining EU countries, the whole integration process would become a lot easier without the constant special requests from the British government.

On the other hand, for the remaining EU countries, the whole integration process would become a lot easier without the constant special requests from the British government.

I can quite imagine that point is very true. Some french foreign affairs minister has just been on the squawk box telling David Cameron that membership of the EU is not something that can be ordered A La Carte. I'd respond by saying that the privilege of actually ordering from a menu rather than accepting Chancellor Merkel's food aid is something we should preserve...

What, so we can strip it of all its mineral wealth before moving on to parts of South America and those bits of the Antartic shelf that are within the terrotorial waters of the Falklands? Sounds like a plan.

Sssh. There may be Chinamen listening. OK, they may have stolen a bit of a lead on us, but they can't play cricket so we'll soon have 'em off our patch.

I guess Cameron is lancing the boil and making the vote a put up or shut up case. It's done enough damage to his own party over the years and Labour will have to live on with the problem if it's not sorted.
It's rather like Scotland, with their own moment arriving next year.